India (274/6) beat New Zealand (273) by 4 wickets in Dharamsala
In a remarkable display of prowess, India continued their dominant run in the ongoing World Cup, securing a convincing four-wicket victory over New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday. This resounding triumph marked India’s fifth consecutive win in as many matches, propelling them to the top of the ten-team points table.
Chasing a challenging target of 274, India exhibited their mettle by sealing the victory with two overs to spare. Virat Kohli led the charge in India’s pursuit of the target, coming close to a well-deserved century with a splendid 95 off 104 balls. However, by the time Kohli departed, New Zealand’s prospects had dwindled significantly. Throughout his innings, Kohli forged three crucial partnerships, contributing 52 runs with Shreyas Iyer, 54 with KL Rahul, and a significant 78 with the resilient Ravindra Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 39 off 44 balls.
The opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill provided India with a robust start, amassing 71 runs for the first wicket, primarily through boundaries. Nevertheless, New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson managed to dismiss Rohit for 46 off 40 balls, shortly followed by Gill’s departure after scoring 26 off 31 balls.
The match briefly encountered a delay in the 16th over due to haze and low visibility, but play resumed soon after.
Earlier in the match, Mohammed Shami spearheaded India’s resurgence in the final 10 overs with a remarkable five-wicket haul, marking his return to the World Cup. New Zealand seemed poised to reach or even surpass the 300-run mark, thanks to a formidable 159-run partnership between Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, achieved in just 152 balls. While Mitchell played a substantial innings, amassing 130 runs from 127 balls, New Zealand’s momentum waned as they could only manage 54 runs in the last 10 overs, losing six wickets in the process.
Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first, and India successfully restricted New Zealand’s scoring in the initial 10 overs. However, the partnership between Ravindra and Mitchell applied pressure, particularly on spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. The absence of a sixth seamer due to Hardik Pandya’s injury and Shardul Thakur’s exclusion became noticeable as the batters capitalised on the spin options. Despite an excellent start by Indian seamers in the first 10 overs, Mohammed Shami struck early, dismissing Will Young with his first ball.
India found themselves compelled to use Ravindra Jadeja’s overs within the initial 30, with the spinner delivering ten overs consecutively, concluding with figures of 0/48. The partnership between Ravindra and Mitchell extended beyond 150, and although Bumrah dropped Mitchell at the boundary, it resulted in a boundary. India finally found relief in the 34th over, as Shami claimed the crucial wicket of Ravindra, who had compiled 75 runs from 87 balls. Kuldeep Yadav followed up with the dismissal of New Zealand’s captain, Tom Latham, and Mitchell continued his resilient stand, eventually reaching his fifth ODI century. India rallied and bowled out New Zealand for 273 runs.
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